1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brake control apparatus for controlling braking forces to be generated by a plurality of brake devices for braking respective wheels of a vehicle.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An example of such a brake control apparatus is disclosed in JP-B2-2835173. This brake control apparatus is adapted to control braking forces to be generated by respective brake devices in the form of four wheel brakes for braking four wheels of an automotive vehicle, namely, a front left wheel, a front right wheel, a rear left wheel and a rear right wheel of the vehicle. The brake control apparatus includes a brake-operation inhibiting portion operable when at least one of the wheel brakes is defective, for inhibiting an operation of one of the normal wheel brakes which is determined by the location of the at least one wheel corresponding to the defective at least one wheel brake.
Where the wheel brake for the rear right wheel is defective, for instance, the brake-operating inhibiting portion of the brake control apparatus indicated above inhibits an operation of the normal wheel brake for the rear left wheel. Where the wheel brakes for the front left and right wheels are defective, the brake-operation inhibiting portion inhibits an operation of the normal wheel brake for the rear right wheel. This control arrangement reduces a difference between the total braking force generated by the two wheel brakes on the left side of the vehicle and the total braking force generated by the two other wheel brakes on the right side, so that the running stability of the vehicle is improved.
The present inventors have found that the known brake control apparatus indicated above has a further room for improvement for more effectively utilizing the normal wheel brake or brakes while restraining a reduction in the running stability of the vehicle when at least one of the wheel brakes is defective. That is, the inventors have found that there are some cases where a reduction in the running stability of the vehicle due to a difference between the total braking force of the left wheel brakes and that of the right wheel brakes is not so large as to cause a problem.